From Phoenix to Vienna
The journey begins:
The past week has perhaps been the most surreal of my entire life. Every day I have to tell myself that this is really happening. I see with my waking eyes what before I could only imagine.
Monday, June 6th - I flew to Calgary, Canada and had a long layover in the airport. Finally my next flight to London left around 8:00 p.m. My first round of culture shock set in when the flight attendants offered us complimentary drinks with the multi-course dinner. Food and drink tasted about as bland as you’d expect from airline food, but the gesture was nice.
Tuesday, June 7th - the plane landed in London with several hours to spare before my train left for Paris. Unfortunately, WestJet understaffing caused a 2 1/2 hour delay getting our baggage. There was still time to get to St. Pancras International Train Station, but no time for afternoon tea :( After going through English then French passport security, I tried to find a place to sit down and charge my dead phone. Two problems emerged: 1) there was nowhere to sit and 2) the power sockets wouldn’t work with my American charging plugs. Didn’t even think to check that before I left!
When a seat finally opened up, I took a spot next to a girl about my age who offered me a charging cable while we waited. We started talking, and before I even learned her name (Billie) I discovered her philosophical personality and admirable self-awareness. Since we were sitting close together on the train, our conversation about family, relationships, faith, and our life-directions lasted all the way to Paris. I caught snapshots of the sun-bathed landscape with my eyes but not my camera. In Paris, I checked into a youth hostel and walked out to see the city. The light lasted until about 10 p.m. and even afterward, the city was lit with warm ambient lighting from cafes, restaurants, and brasseries full of young people (smoking cigarettes, surprisingly). At a lovely French restaurant, the traditionally condescending waiter served me something unfamiliar - beef tartare. This is basically the most deliciously seasoned, rare hamburger you’ve ever tasted. But actually, the ground beef is not just rare, it’s raw! This dish might easily be illegal in the USA. What a fabulous start to my cross cultural culinary adventures!
Le Gare du Nord, the train station where I arrived in Paris
Evening in Paris
Wednesday, June 8th - With jet lag, staying up late, and a phone alarm malfunction, I woke up about 90 minutes after my early morning train left. I grabbed a quick breakfast at a magical pastry shop (see below for proof), and then spent the morning in Gare De l’Est trying to get a replacement reservation at the low Eurail price. This train station is a short walk away from the Gare Du Nord where I arrived, but it is less of an international hub, so there was a greater language barrier (for example, it took me about 20 minutes to find the ticket office). If only I had planned ahead to be in Paris all morning! I could have seen the Notre Dame Cathedral or even the Eiffel Tower, but instead I was stuck sitting on the floor in the overcrowded station. One cool thing about the Paris train stations: they have public pianos which people actually play! One lady showed me the theme from the French film Amélie, and I pulled out my violin and attempted to improvise over the chord progression. Although we only played for a few minutes, this was a special moment of musical connection. I got as far as Munich, Germany that night.
A view from the train in Germany
Thursday, June 9th - Made sure to get up early this time and hopped on my 6:10 a.m. train about 25 minutes early. My now traditional breakfast of pastry and coffee came with me. European pastries are so rich with butter and eggs that they don’t even feel unhealthy! I watched the German then Austrian countryside slip past my window while reading Beethoven articles. Around 10:30 a.m. I arrived in the Vienna Hauptbanhof (Central Station), took the U1 subway across the Donau (Danube) to Kagran station, and from there took a bus to the farm! After a shower and short nap, I joined the household for lunch and then slept the rest of the day and night.
That was already several days ago, so I’m very late catching you all up! On one hand, each day has been incredibly full. On the other hand, the pace of life on the farm is much slower, so I’ve focused more on being present with the people and activities right here. In future posts, I hope to share more about life on the farm, going to church in a gigantic cathedral, findings from the archive, and fun cultural observations. Stay tuned :)